Adipurush Lyricist Manoj Muntashir Backtracks On His Claim, Says 'Humne Ramayan Nahi Banayi'

Amid a new wave of backlash against Adipurush, its lyricist and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla has appeared to backtrack on his previous claim made during a TV interview wherein he stated that the story of the Prabhas starrer was “exact same as the Ramayana”. However, the screenwriter is now defending the backlash surrounding the movie’s dialogues and contentious portrayals by saying that it’s just “inspired by the Ramayana.”

A video, which has now gone viral on social media, shows Manoj Muntashir’s contrary statements on Adipurush. Over eight months ago, he had appeared for a TV interview, along with director Om Raut, on ABP news and said: “If people think we are trying to modernise the Ramayan, I want to tell them that not at all. We have presented the Ramayan just like how people heard in stories during their childhood.”

But in a very recent interview with Aaj Tak, Muntashir seemed to contradict himself. “The film’s name is Adipurush. Humne Ramayan nahi banayi hai. Hum Ramayan se prerit hai (We have not made the Ramayan; we are just inspired by it),” he said.

Muntashir’s statement has not gown down well with netizens, who are calling him out for his “double standards”. One user wrote, “They just want to earn money. Respect sentiments of Hindus and the Ramayan.” Another one said, “I completely condemn what is shown in #Adipurush in the name of the great epic #Ramayan ! It’s completely unacceptable what they tried portraying in the movie! For God sake, Ramayan is not a myth. It’s our history and they are our God! RESPECT IT!”

Manoj Muntashir Shukla has already been facing severe criticism for saying “Lord Hanuman is not a God.” While defending the “oversimplified” dialogues of Lord Hanuman in Adipurush, he told Aaj Tak, “Bajrangbali bhagwaan nahi hai, bhakt hai. Humne unko bhagwaan banaya hai kyuki unki bhakti mein wo power tha (Lord Hanuman is not God but a mere devotee. We made him God because his devotion had that power).”

Meanwhile, Adipurush witnessed a massive drop of 77 percent on Monday, day 4, at the box office amid the growing backlash against the film. Its current total stands at Rs 375 crores gross worldwide.

This is not the first time when Muntashir has created a stir over his statement on social media. In 2020, Muntashir, the lyricist behind Kesari song Teri Mitti, had written a scathing post against film awards after his song lost out the Best Lyrics trophy to Divine and Ankur Tewari who wrote Gully Boy song Apna Time Aaega.

“Dear Awards… Even if I try all my life… I won’t be able to write a better line than… ‘Tu Kahti Thee Tera Chaand Hoon Main Aur Chaand Humesha Rahta hai’. You failed to honour the words which made millions of Indians cry and care for their motherland. It would be a great disrespect to my art if I still continue caring for you. So here I bid you a final good bye. I officially announce- I won’t attend any award show till I breathe my last. Alvida,” he wrote in a tweet. His reaction had received support from his fans on social media.

Who is Manoj Muntashir Shukla?

Manoj Muntashir is a dialogue writer, lyricist, poet and screenwriter. He has penned the lyrics for several successful Hindi songs including ‘Teri Mitti (Kesari),’ ‘Galliyan (Ek Villain),’ ‘Tere Sang Yaara (Rustom),’ ‘Kaun Tujhe (MS Dhoni: The Untold Story),’ and ‘Phir Bhi Tumko Chaahunga (Half Girlfriend)’. Last year, he bagged his first National Film Award for Best Lyricist for the sports biopic ‘Saina,’ which starred Parineeti Chopra as badminton star Saina Nehwal.